Savior
by Ink Kissed
Summary: AU. A shattered photographer. A wandering soul with a passion to draw and heal. Naminé stumbled upon patient number XIII and finds her world coming undone. This mysterious stranger becomes her biggest challenge and she just might be the answer to his salvation.


**_Savior:_**

 _I._

 _Naminé._

 _His knuckles were bruised and crusted with dried flakes of blood. Her fingers lightly ran over the scars and bruises on his arms and abdomen. "You're too beautiful to be saving people." He whispered. Broken._

 _'_

 _'_

 _'_

A light breeze was pushing into the vents and creating a draft.

Sunlight was creating crosshatches against the white tiled floors. Specks of dark blue encrusted in the cracks and creating a glittering effect with the sun glinted off of it.

Wide windows. Ivy covered panes on the outside with white and blue flowers trailing down the lower gray brick half of the building.

Warm, cream colored, exterior.

White, cold, interior.

Clocks were affixed above every entrance and doorway.

Thick black hands. Faint ticking noises. A screeching beep that would blare off every passing hour.

Naminé Deirdre walked silently down the abandoned hallways except for a few staff members milling about - waiting for the clocks to chime towards the eleven o'clock hour. Lunch break.

She had worked at Briddleton's Care Facility since she was fifteen years old. She would take the ferry to Twilight Town and spend her days taking care of those that needed it. Her parents were never around often. Her father always on tour for painting murals and her mother juggling her ballet and art exhibition showcases.

Even her brother Demyx, once he had finally turned eighteen had gone off to college and she hadn't heard from except for the occasional phone call he made to make sure she was still alive.

At the age of fifteen she taught herself how to cook.

She taught herself how to paint. And sketch.

She taught herself to not miss her brother who had drifted apart from her.

She taught herself to not miss not having parents to care for her.

And she taught herself how to care for others - a skill her parents had seemed to lack. And it wasn't as though they didn't love her. It was as if they had created a world where they knew their daughter could take care of herself and didn't need parental guidance.

The moments when they were home and she was there was always spent with idle chitchat about their events and how high school had gone for her and what she was making for dinner.

That had been eight years ago.

One associates degree and a part time position at Briddleton's that took care of those who were disable mentally and physically later and here she was.

Moved to Twilight Town. Still living in the home her parents had owned.

But her parents had long been gone.

Her father had remarried two years shortly after she had graduated from the community college in Destiny Islands where she had grown up. Her mother had fallen into a depression and holed herself up in her room - always painting, always drowning herself in classical music.

After a while - Naminé finally decided to move her mother in with her. Away from the home they had in Destiny Islands.

It cheered her mother up briefly, and her mother spent the days painting like there was no tomorrow.

Naminé would even go so far as to say that she now had a real relationship with her mother.

But her focus was more at Briddleton.

She had been taking care of many patients there for eight years. Welcoming them with smiles. Teaching them how to draw and reading them books during the day. Helping them eat and re-teaching people of all ages how to walk and speak.

Briddleton housed a variety of people and situations. Elderly who couldn't remember what they spoke in the last five minutes to those who had long term memory loss. Children who had lost limbs and had to adapt to using metal appendages. Young adults who had traumatic experiences and needed time and care to get back to a more stable life.

It was home to her.

But it was also a reminder that life was precious. And the world wasn't always a safe place.

She exhaled softly as she took a moment to lean against a window ledge. Incandescent storm blue eyes with specks of gray stared out at the morning sky.

It was mildly cloudy. Flattened, wispy puffs of white.

A storm was slowly approaching.

A faint drizzle trickled from the darkest areas of the sky.

The air - she had now opened the window a smidgen - smelled of mint, and sandalwood with whiffs of cigarette smoke.

Her slightly chipped icy blue fingernails ran lightly along the pane of the window. White wood. White paneling adjourned to the glass inside it.

A hand rose to ruffle the long locks of her pale golden-white hair that ran halfway down her waist into soft curls. However it was currently affixed into a messy bun.

Choppy bangs swooping to the right side of her forehead.

She blew out a loud puff of air once more as she closed the window tightly shut and made her way once more down the long hallway.

She wondered if her mother had even gotten up this morning and had eaten breakfast.

She had left her a plate of french toast in saran wrap on the marble counter. Shrugging to herself, she shoved her hands into the depths of her black slacks. Her white blouse was slightly too big and had a lace pocket. A bright sky blue pen was clipped to the inside.

She took a brief pause as she finally stopped at the front of the door that was her destination.

Room 402.

Patient number XIII.

Roxas Aloki.

Admitted a month ago for a rare condition that was yet to been seen with a cure.

She had never seen him in person before. Only snippets of conversation between each of his caretakers. One after another always gave up on him - tossing him to another volunteer. Saying he was too stubborn to even want to find a cure.

That was where she came in. She was always patient. She took her time to work with the patient to progress them to a better living situation. Everyone deserved a second chance in life to be able to do whatever they wanted.

She wanted to be that second chance for all the people she volunteered to take care of.

So when Roxas was posted up for another volunteer, she seized the opportunity.

Her knuckles lightly rapped on the door.

She turned the handle of the door and stepped inside.

 _'_

 _'_

 _'_

The room was dark.

Only one window provided any light and it was in the middle corner, up high towards the ceiling.

She had been sitting in a chair tucked beneath the corner desk for fifteen minutes, watching the rise and fall of his chest.

He was asleep.

She had almost tripped over her brown lace ankle boots when she had walked in and her eyes had trailed downwards to his form in the bed.

Navy sheets. Gray comforter.

A man who had to be in his young twenties. Toned shirtless chest. Faint white scars littered his body. Fresher pink and red scars were trailing along his throat and wrists.

He was breathtaking.

His hair seemed as though it couldn't decide between short and long. It was unruly, and stuck up at the ends. An ashen, dirty blonde. It swept over his eyes, bangs that swooshed to the right. His features were chiseled, and a faint line of stubble ran along his chin.

Dark circles danced underneath his eyes. His eyebrows were drawn downwards into a troubled expression whilst he slept.

His long form - she could tell since he covered the majority of the long bed - was tangled up in the sheets. One of his arms was draped across his chest.

His lips were a bit chapped but his bottom lip was full and parted as he took deep breaths and rolled onto his side, away from her stare.

She wasn't sure what normal protocol was for this kind of situation.

Should she let him sleep?

She was only working until four today.

Her objective was to get him to open up a little bit to her.

But she wasn't sure if he'd even speak to her - considering his tendencies to push away every volunteer that worked here at Briddleton.

Just as she was about to stand and take her lunch break, maybe sketch him as he was asleep, he turned towards her. His long dark eyelashes swept upwards and his dark eyes were drinking her in.

She swallowed thickly.

Tucked a loose strand of hair that had come undone from her bun behind her pierced ears.

Glancing at him she could see his eyes were a dark blue.

Swirls of different shades of blue.

Flecks of gold when his eyes hit the small amount of sunlight that peeped through the window and down on his frame.

He rose up partially on an elbow. The navy sheet dragged lazily down his chest as she sat there in the desk chair, one ankle clad boot tucked behind the other.

He was just laying there in his bed, staring at her. Calculating. Perhaps mesmerizing.

She opened her mouth to speak and a loud tuft of air was released.

One of his eyebrows rose but he didn't speak.

Mustering her courage, she smiled warmly at him. The corners of her lips lifted and flashed her white teeth. Her fingertips nervously fiddled together. Index fingers pushing together consistently.

"Hi." She murmured quietly, and peeked from beneath her bangs as his head tilted ever so slightly to the side, "I'm Naminé, and I'll be helping you with your transitioning now here at Briddleton."

She waited to see if he would respond.

He stayed quiet.

Watching her.

Staring so intently as though she would crumble under the fierce stare of his gaze.

A second passed.

Then a minute.

Then a few minutes.

She gave him an extra few and then she stood.

He didn't move. Or readjust his positioning at all.

He simply blinked at her as she wiped her clammy hands on the fabric of her slacks and stepped out. Once his door was closed behind her back she inhaled and exhaled sharply.

Roxas. Aloki.

Patient number XIII.

A mute for seventeen years of life.

Hasn't spoken a word since the age of eight.

She wondered what on earth had damaged him to the point of never wanting to speak again.

 _'_

 _'_

 _'_

It was four o'clock.

Her shift had ended.

After checking up on other patients - Seifer, a young male with violent tendencies who lashed out and triggered an attack whenever he heard the word key, Larxene a spitfire of a young woman who loved to call her a witch and tinkered with electricity, Pence a shy introvert with an obsessive habit to inflict harm upon himself whenever he ate too much and lastly besides Roxas, her childhood friend Olette. Olette had a low self esteem and would deprive herself of eating and when she would eat she would regurgitate the remains whenever she was alone - she made her way home.

Her mind wandered to thoughts of Roxas as she drove her dark black SUV to the heart of the city.

Briddleton was located on the outskirts. It was about an hour drive every morning.

Her apartment was located in Sunset Hill. Atop a hill. Which meant a long drive combined with having to parallel park on an inclined driveway.

She didn't mind.

Her best friend and roommate Kairi, however, did.

As soon as she made it home - she stepped inside and had barely just placed her purse on the hook by the door when Kairi came rushing towards her. Her auburn hair was wet from a recent shower. Dark purple-blue eyes were wide with anticipation. Her dark red top was hanging off one of her shoulders and her dark jeans had slightly rips in them.

"Nam," She huffed in exasperation.

"Yes?" She offered in reply, tucking strands of hair behind her ear as she let it come undone from the bun she had hastily pulled it into after her shower that morning.

"Your mother is crazy. I tried feeding her a grilled cheese sandwich and she barked at me. She literally _barked_ at me to go away. Is she like some animal?"

Naminé tried to stifle a laugh.

Kairi had always been dramatic.

A drama major with a minor in dance.

Her boyfriend Sora was a pilot and was often gone for long periods of time - which had led to Kairi moving in with her and her mother.

Kairi didn't mind.

Especially since it meant she had a low rent to pay as long as she helped chip in for groceries and looked after her mother when Naminé was at work.

"She's probably just irritated. Must be one of her non inspirational days. I'll fix her something else soon. What do you want for dinner?"

"Anything but grilled cheese."

Naminé laughed. Kairi had always remarked that it was soothing. A soft chime. Like the whisper of a calm sea.

"Alright. Just let me change and I'll get to it."

"How as work?" Kairi asked her as she made her way into her bedroom upstairs. Light blue walls with white carpet. A queen sized bed in the middle of the room with a striped navy blue and white anchor comforter. An easel perched underneath the large bay window that overlooked the tracks of the train station with the large sea below it.

She always loved to watch the sunrises and sunsets on their small enclosed porch that could be reached through a door in the corner of her room.

"Uneventful. I have a new patient." She responded lightly as she changed into gray sweatpants and an over sized blue tee shirt with the words 'never give up' stitched in white lettering.

"How is that uneventful?" Kairi questioned from her perch in Naminé's doorway.

"Well, he's a mute. Hasn't spoken a word to any human being since he was eight years old. Admitted a month ago - "

"Why wasn't he admitted sooner? Seventeen years without speaking? What is he, an alien?"

" - and he has scars all over his body -"

"Must be some drug addict. Did you check for track marks?"

" - he just looked really sad and I just know I can get him to talk."

"If you say so. I don't know how you have such optimism, Nami'."

"Patience." She ran a brush through her hair and began to make her way downstairs. Her mother also lived in an upstairs bedroom towards the back. Kairi lived in the attic - it was like her own huge dance studio. She loved it up there. They had a guest bedroom. Two bathrooms. A fully furnished marble kitchen that Naminé absolutely loved and a living room with a huge television that Sora loved to use when he came to visit on his times of absence from work.

 _'_

 _'_

 _'_

Naminé had made a chicken stir fry for dinner.

Her mother had eaten in her room.

Kairi and Naminé ate in front of the television, watching the news. Kairi always watched the news to see if there were any flight updates. She was always worried about Sora sometimes.

And afterwards they would watch movies or the cooking channel until one of them was too tired and went to bed.

Tonight it was her.

After muttering her goodnights to Kairi, she went upstairs and peeped into her mothers room.

She was asleep atop of her bed, limbs sprawled. Mouth hanging open. Her white hair with streaks of blonde was messy - it hadn't been washed in a few days.

She was wearing the same black long sleeved shirt and white sweatpants as two day ago.

Naminé sighed and threw a blanket over her, lightly kissing her forehead and cleaning the art supplies that had been scattered across her floor.

Opened tubes of paint.

Broken paintbrushes.

Unfinished paintings. Finished paintings ripped and in pieces.

She eventually made her way back into her own room and sat in front of her easel. Her white curtains were drawn. It was way too dark outside now anyway to be able to see the orange and red and purple streaks in the sky.

She rubbed beneath her eyes as she raised a pencil to the sketchbook she had propped on her easel.

She wasn't in the mood to paint tonight, no. She wanted to draw.

Led danced heavily across the white paper.

When her eyes finally began to stung and her fingers and wrists were coated with the black residue of the led pencil she pulled back. Leaving her drawing staring back at her she curled into her gray sheets and let sleep overtake her.

Tomorrow was a new day.

A new day to get Patient number XIII to speak to her.

To get Roxas to open up.

As she closed her eyes, she felt the drawing staring deep into her soul.

For on the sketchbook she had drawn the moment his eyes opened. Those deep pools of blue reeling her in. Stealing her breath.

 _Roxas._ The thought flickered across her mind as she succumbed to sleep. _What happened to you?_

* * *

 _I don't own Kingdom Hearts._

 _Why, hello!_

 _Decided to start something new. Such a slacker and I tacked on a new project._

 _But I'm really excited to get this going._

 _Hope you enjoyed(:_


End file.
